Original subtitles

(gentle music)

(gentle music continues)

(gentle music continues)

(zebras grunting)

- [Narrator] Grasslands are full of food

for numberless families.

(zebra snorting)

The grass grows continuously, like a self-stocking fridge.

But there are few places to hide on an open plain.

(gentle music)

So parents have problems in keeping their young safe

while they feed. (gentle music)

(ominous music)

African wild dogs.

Expert grassland predators.

They would make quick work of a young zebra.

(zebra snorting)

It's a parent's nightmare. (zebra snorting)

The father rounds up his family,

but that does little to deter the dogs.

(gentle music)

So he makes an extraordinary sacrifice.

He hangs back. (gentle music)

Now he is the target.

His family can escape. (gentle music)

(gentle music continues)

This is the story of what it takes to be a parent

in the grasslands of our planet.

(uplifting music)

Parents must constantly balance risk and reward

in the wide open places of the planet.

Unusual conditions can make that much harder.

In the winter of 2023,

California received nearly 200 trillion litres of rain,

nearly double its average.

(thunder booming)

(rainfall pattering)

Creating a grassland not seen for generations.

(gentle music)

It may seem appealing,

but not for a parent adapted to deserts.

(gentle music)

A San Joaquin kit fox is about the size of a house cat.

(gentle music)

The tall grass makes it hard for her

to protect her five kits.

(gentle music)

Her kits are a constant distraction.

(gentle music)

(gentle music continues)

(gentle music continues)

This year, all her senses are blunted.

(gentle music)

The grass itself muffle the sounds and smells.

In a normal year, she'd be able to see for miles around.

(gentle music)

(gentle music continues)

But she can't watch over her kits forever.

(gentle music)

(crickets chirping)

As night falls, she's faced by a serious dilemma.

She must find food for her kits.

But to do that, she must leave them.

(ominous music)

With no parental supervision,

the kits continue to play well into the night.

(mysterious music)

She travels nearly seven miles

in search of giant kangaroo rats.

And they only emerge at night.

(ominous music)

But this year, hunting is harder than it has ever been.

The long grass makes it difficult to locate them.

(ominous music)

(ominous music continues)

Finally, she catches a rat.

At the den, her kits' unsupervised playtime

has drawn some unfortunate attention.

(ominous music) A coyote.

He's twice the size of a kit fox,

and one of their main predators.

(ominous music)

Catching scent to something amiss,

the pups escape to their underground den.

But now the coyote knows where to find them.

Returning home, the mother finds her family safe,

but still hungry.

One rat is not enough to feed her five kits.

She must head out for more.

(kits gekkering)

But something isn't right.

The wind has changed its direction.

(owl hooting)

Plenty of cover for a coyote.

(ominous music)

(ominous music continues)

(ominous music continues)

(ominous music continues)

There's nothing she can do.

Her remaining kits have scattered.

(sombre music)

(sombre music continues)

(flies buzzing)

The four surviving kits are here, alive and well.

(gentle music)

This mother will have to adapt

if she is to protect her family

in this strange, new grassland.

(uplifting music)

(uplifting music continues)

Southern England.

A single mother has a well-tested way

of protecting her young.

(gentle music) (wasp buzzing)

Architecture.

A potter wasp is building

the last of 25 major constructions.

It's her life's work. (gentle music)

She must finish it before the end of autumn.

(gentle music)

She uses her saliva to soften the clay.

(wasp wings beating) (gentle music)

With which she builds a nursery.

(gentle music)

Once complete,

it'll provide her young with both shelter and food.

(gentle music)

In her signature style, she flutes the edges.

Then she spins a thread of silk.

And on it, lays a single egg,

which will hatch in a couple of days.

But her job has only just begun.

(bright music)

She must also fill the pot with food,

so her offspring can develop and emerge in the spring.

(bright music)

That will require her to collect enough caterpillars

while the weather holds. (wasp buzzing)

When she finds one, she paralyses it with her sting.

(bright music)

And then puts it into the pot, alive.

(bright music)

But British weather is unreliable.

(thunder booming) (rainfall splashing)

She can't fly when it's cold and wet.

(rain pattering)

Time is slipping by.

The sun returns, but now time is very short.

(wasp buzzing) (bright music)

(bright music continues)

With the season on the turn,

she's not the only one in a hurry.

(bright music)

The caterpillars are getting restless.

(bright music)

They're making their way down to the ground

to find somewhere to spend the winter.

(exciting music)

She herself is almost out of time.

(exciting music)

(exciting music continues)

Just one more. (exciting music)

But maybe one that is a little smaller.

(exciting music)

(exciting music continues)

With her pot now fully provisioned, she seals it.

(gentle music)

Just in time.

Next year, in the spring,

her offspring will emerge from its nursery

as an adult potter wasp.

As for the mother, her work is done.

Within the next week, she will die.

She will never meet her offspring, offsp,

for whom she's provided both a safe home,

and an ample larder. (gentle music)

For many parents, providing food is the easy part.

Giving them an education is much more difficult.

(cheetah purring))

This cheetah mother has single-handedly fed her three cubs

for eight long months.

10 more, and they must be able to feed themselves.

(gentle music)

(gentle music continues)

Play fighting develops their physical skills.

(flies buzzing)

And they could learn a lot about prey

through trial and error.

Such as which kind is most likely to fight back.

(gentle music)

(gentle music continues)

(gentle music continues)

But she must provide them with an opportunity

to learn one skill in particular.

(birds cawing)

(ominous music)

(ominous music continues)

(ominous music continues)

A fawn, too young to run far, has been abandoned.

(gentle music)

But she doesn't kill it.

(gentle music)

Cheetah cubs don't instinctively know how to make a kill,

and even simply making contact with prey can be dangerous.

(gentle music)

So for this lesson,

the mother provides something her cubs can tackle safely.

With practise over, it's time for a test.

(wildebeest grunting)

This wildebeest calf is too big for her cubs

to bring down by themselves.

(ominous music)

But they may have learned enough to be of help.

(mysterious music) (wildebeest grunting)

(wildebeest grunting)

Mother leads the chase.

(exciting music)

The calf is escaping.

(exciting music)

The cub realises that his mother needs help.

(wildebeest grunting)

(wildebeest grunting continues)

(gentle music)

He holds on, enabling her to reposition.

(wildebeest grunting)

(gentle music)

Cheetah mothers work alone in educating their cubs.

But some parents require a partner,

just to keep their young safe.

(gentle music)

The Eurasian Steppe, (gentle music)

two million square miles of grassland,

the biggest on the planet.

It's an exposed place in which to raise a family.

(birds chirping)

Parenting here requires teamwork.

Demoiselle cranes travel over 3,000 miles

to nest in Mongolia.

They feed on grass and insects,

and here, both are plentiful.

(gentle music)

Protecting the eggs requires two diligent parents.

One stays with the eggs,

(crane calling)

while the other feeds.

However, parents must be prepared to face the unexpected.

There is a growing threat to almost every grassland

on Earth. (sheep bleating)

Globally, the number of domesticated livestock

has tripled over the last century.

So there is far less space for wild animals.

(sheep bleating)

Their clumsy new neighbours

are more dangerous than they look.

One hoof wrong, and the eggs could be lost.

One parent tries to redirect the herd.

(jaunty music)

But the sheep aren't taking the hint.

(crane calling) (sheep bleating)

And the stakes have just got a little higher.

The parents have no choice. They must fight together.

(jaunty music) (sheep bleating)

(jaunty music)

Enough is enough.

It's time to deploy the crane kick.

(jaunty music) (crane calling)

(jaunty music)

(jaunty music continues)

Job done. (sheep bleating)

But the crane parents' task has only just started.

The pair will continue to protect their chicks

for nearly a year. (chick chirping)

(gentle music)

Sharing the load certainly makes parenting easier.

And for some families, even two parents are not enough.

(gentle music)

African wild dogs need the help of their whole family

to raise their young.

(gentle music)

A breeding pair cannot do it alone.

The whole pack is responsible for parenting

the next generation. (gentle music)

And this pack has been unusually successful.

30 members strong, it's three times the average size.

(gentle music)

Such numbers should be an asset,

(dogs yipping)

but over half of them still have some growing up to do.

(dogs chittering)

The teenagers are something of a liability.

(exciting music)

Their inexperience could ruin a hunt before it even starts.

Their parents have a big job ahead to control the

(exciting music)

(exciting music continues)

A really big job. (dogs chittering)

The matriarch of the pack is nursing.

She has another 10 puppies back in the den.

She and her partner must find enough food

for the whole family.

(gentle music)

(buffalo mooing)

Buffalo are seldom attacked by wild dogs.

Their size, horns, and numbers

make them potentially very dangerous.

But with so many mouths to feed,

the bigger the prey, the better.

(gentle music)

The pack size could give them a chance.

If the youngsters behave properly.

The herd is heading out to feed in the grassla

where they'll be more exposed.

(gentle music)

The odds of a successful hunt

are shifting in the pack's favour.

(mysterious music)

The adults steer the pack into position

at the edge of the forest.

There, they will be able to get closer to the herd.

(mysterious music)

(mysterious music continues)

Now they must select an individual.

(mysterious music)

The matriarch knows they must be patient.

Timing is key. (exciting music)

But once again, the youngsters break cover too soon.

(exciting music)

(exciting music continues) (buffalo mooing)

Their enthusiasm has given the buffalo time

to form a defensive group.

(buffalo mooing)

They themselves are now in danger.

They move too close, too quickly.

(exciting music)

And worse, they're chasing the biggest buffalo in the herd.

So big they could kill a young dog

with a single well-placed kick.

(exciting music)

The matriarch seems to know

that their chances are dwindling.

(buffalo mooing)

Selecting a target within the trees is almost impossible.

(exciting music) (buffalo mooing)

The youngsters have wasted their chance.

The parents, however, are watching for a weak buffalo

to make a wrong move. (exciting music)

An unprotected calf.

It won't provide a meal for everyone,

but it's better than nothing.

(exciting music) (dogs barking)

This time, the youngsters are following their parents.

(exciting music) (buffalo mooing)

(buffalo mooing continues)

But now the odds clearly favour the buffalo.

(gentle music)

There will be many more failed hunts

before the teenagers are of any real help.

But with time and practise,

they will become experienced enough

to assist in raising the next generation.

(gentle music)

For many parents, practise is essential for success.

India.

This Hanuman langur is pregnant for the first time.

It won't be long before she gives birth.

But she's not ready yet. (birds chirping)

Many parenting skills are not instinctive for langurs.

If this young female wants to give her newborn

the best start in life,

she must learn how to be a mother before she gives birth.

Fortunately, being part of a troop provides an opportunity

for her to practise. (birds chirping)

Time for some prenatal classes.

(jaunty music)

But parents are often choosy

about who they allow to babysit.

(jaunty music)

The expectant mother has to persuade someone

to give her a chance. (langurs squealing)

Baby snatching isn't the best start.

(jaunty music)

She must take a gentler approach.

(langur squealing)

But babysitting is harder than it looks.

Mishandling a baby could be fatal,

for both the baby and her social standing.

(gentle music)

That's better. (langur chittering)

She's even learned when it is that an exhausted mother

could use a helping hand. (jaunty music)

(jaunty music)

These newly acquired skills will prepare her for parenthood.

(gentle music)

And just in time.

Last night, she moved away from the troop and gave birth.

(gentle music)

Tender moments like these create a bond with her baby.

But away from the troop, the pair are vulnerable.

And there are some things

for which it is impossible to prepare.

(dogs barking)

Feral dogs on the lookout for an easy meal.

(langurs chittering) (dogs barking)

A newborn baby monkey is an obvious target.

She needs to find a way back to the safety of the troop.

(ominous music)

Without injuring her baby.

(exciting music)

(exciting music continues) (dogs barking)

The troop rally round her.

(exciting music) (langurs squealing)

(exciting music)

Her practise has paid off.

(gentle music)

(gentle music continues)

Now that she's returned to the safety of the troop,

she has as many trusted babysitters

as any mother could wish for.

(gentle music)

Where conditions are hostile,

parents may need to band together.

(birds chirping)

Temperatures in the Kalahari can exceed

a formidable 45 degrees Celsius.

So these sociable weaver parents have joined forces

with other families

to build a climate-controlled home for their young.

(gentle music) (birds chirping)

The nest they produce is the largest built by any bird.

A thatched roof weighing over a tonne

is a very effective shield against the worst of the heat.

(gentle music)

A single pair couldn't possibly build

such an enormous construction.

(gentle music)

It takes a whole community to do that.

(gentle music) (birds chirping)

At least half the parents also have helpers.

Offspring from previous years do stick around to babysit.

(gentle music) (birds chirping)

The helpers feed the chicks, maintain the nest,

and watch out for danger.

(birds chirping) (gentle music)

As the day gets hotter, snakes become more active.

(gentle music)

This cobra could eat every single chick in the colony

in a matter of days.

(birds twittering) (gentle music)

But the community has other ideas.

(tense music)

It's a neighbourhood watch with wings.

But a less visible threat is building.

The temperature is rising.

(ominous music)

It's only a couple of degrees above average,

but as the heat wave drags on,

every family is affected.

(ominous music)

Even a small rise in the temperature

can have big consequences.

Parents and helpers alike are too hot to look for food,

maintain the nest, or watch out for danger.

All they can do is sit in the shade.

It's every bird for itself.

The chicks are left alone for hours at a time.

(ominous music)

(ominous music continues)

An adult shows up. (ominous music)

But it's from a different family.

And it isn't here to help. (birds chirping)

Scientists don't understand exactly why,

but more chicks are ejected from a colony

during heatwaves than at any other time.

Social order starts to break down,

even when the rise in temperature is quite small.

(sombre music)

It seems that most families here

are living on the very edge of what is tolerable.

They're only just coping with a world

that is 1.2 degrees warmer.

But the temperature is still rising.

The world is changing so quickly.

To ensure a future for the next generation,

parents everywhere will have to forge a new path.

The end of summer, high up on the Patagonian plateau.

In order to produce milk for her calf,

this guanaco needs to feed constantly.

She's also pregnant. (wind blowing)

Snow comes early at high altitudes,

covering what's left of the grass.

Grazers are driven downhill in search of food.

(gentle music)

When they reach the lowest elevations,

the guanaco will have enough shelter and food

to see them through the winter.

(gentle music)

They just need to get there.

(gentle music)

(ominous music)

But fences now cut across the landscape.

They're almost impossible to avoid.

(tense music)

Adult guanaco can get across,

but calves usually can't. (tense music)

(tense music continues)

In her haste, she leaves her calf

on the wrong side of the fence.

She is desperate to move on.

The demands of both pregnancy and producing milk are high

and good winter grazing in the valley is so close.

(fence clanking)

(gentle music)

He will not survive alone. (sombre music)

(sombre music continues)

Going back will mean a longer, less certain path.

Nevertheless, she rejoins him.

(gentle music)

There are nearly 100,000 miles of fences in Patagonia.

(gentle music)

It's not possible to avoid them completely.

(gentle music)

She must find a safer route through for them both.

(gentle music)

(gentle music continues)

She tries again.

There's something different about this fence.

(gentle music)

The top line has been removed.

She's done all she can. Now he must make the jump.

(uplifting music)

(uplifting music continues)

(uplifting music continues)

Together, they rejoin the herd

for the last leg into the valley.

(uplifting music)

A changing world is forcing parents everywhere

to make new and difficult choices

in order to protect and provide for the next generation.

(gentle music)

In the vast grasslands of Patagonia,

guanaco scientist Malena Candino is on a mission.

- For my research,

I wanted to understand guanaco's use of habitat.

Migratory species have a pretty disproportionate effect

on the ecosystem

because they can carry nutrients from one area to another,

areas that might otherwise not be connected.

(gentle music)

- It's in the bush. - That's right.

- [Narrator] The "Parenthood" team are here

to record the story of adult guanacos and their calves,

known here as chulengos.

- [Malena] There's like four, five, six other chulengos

that are all on the other side.

Look at them go!

- [Narrator] Soon after cameraman John Aitchison

started filming,

the issues facing guanaco parents became clear.

(gentle music)

- There's a young guanaco here

that's walking up and down this fence line.

And it's just going backwards and forwards,

backwards and forwards, not being able to find a way.

It's so completely pointless

'cause there's no livestock here,

so the fence is redundant.

Anything it's actually doing

is separating this mum from the baby.

Horrible.

- [Narrator] Ranching in Patagonia peaked in the 1950s.

But since then, livestock numbers here have nearly halved,

and many ranches have been abandoned.

Their remnants litter the landscape.

- A lot of these fences are just relics, at this point.

They don't really have a purpose

and they have a big impact in this population.

(gentle music)

- [Narrator] As the crew begin another filming day,

they stumbled across the inevitable.

An entangled chulengo unable to free itself.

Malena and director Dom race to save its life.

(sombre music)

(sombre music continues)

- I.

Shh, shh. (beep)

No, no. Okay, okay.

Shh shh shh shh shh shh.

Stuck in the other one! (beep)

Ah! Ah!

(gentle music)

Thank you.

- You all right? - Yeah.

(gentle music)

I do see some guanacos.

Hopefully that's its group,

and it will be able to reunite with them.

I mean, it's good that we could help this one,

but you need more than that, right?

'Cause this is not the only chulengo

that gets stuck or gets separated.

This happens so many times every day.

So something bigger has to change.

- [Narrator] The problem is widespread across Patagonia.

It's estimated that fences are responsible for the deaths

of at least 30,000 guanaco in Patagonia every year.

(sombre music)

- If they just made them a tiny bit lower,

took a line out the middle, be such a simple solution.

And it'd make the world of difference, I think,

to guanacos in Argentina.

- [Narrator] For Sofía Heinonen of Rewilding Argentina,

the loss of guanacos signals a greater problem.

- If there is no guanacos, the ecosystem will collapse.

The grasslands in Argentina are very important,

it's one of the main ecosystem we have here,

but have been very degraded because of the cattle.

So we need to restore them

because many, many species depend on that.

They evolve in this ecosystem.

- [Narrator] But there are simple solutions.

Fences no longer in use can be removed entirely.

(gentle music)

And for those that must remain, it's even easier.

By just snipping the top wire,

it allows safer passage for guanacos and their young.

(gentle music)

- 200 metres down the road,

you can see where Rewilding Argentina

have taken the top line off the fence,

and we've not seen any guanacos stuck on those fences.

- I think the work that Rewilding Argentina does

is extremely important,

and I think this could be done anywhere and everywhere

in the world and it should be done.

(gentle music)

- [Narrator] Such a simple solution can have a huge impact.

With up to 70% of our grasslands supporting livestock,

fences have become one of the most widespread,

manmade features on Earth.

(gentle music)

It's within our power to remove them where we can

for the benefit of wildlife.

- The soul of Patagonia is the wildlife.

We can have a huge landscape,

but without wildlife, it's an empty scenario.

(uplifting music)

I have a complete hope, and I'm very optimistic

of the capacity of nature to recover.

(uplifting music)

- [Narrator] We have the power to help nature recover.

And sometimes it's the simplest changes

that can have the most positive and profound impacts.

(gentle music)

(gentle music continues)

(gentle music continues)

(gentle music continues)